Baguio hospitals reach full capacity due to COVID-19 surge

In happier times, there were no rooms on Holy Week for Baguio City’s tourists and visitors. 

In these COVID-19 times, there are no rooms available at the hospitals for COVID-19 patients. 

As early as March 28, the Baguio General Hospital (BGH) had issued a statement that there would be no elective surgeries and procedures until further notice due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

“Only emergency cases shall be admitted,” the BGH said. 

Any person having a transaction with any office inside the hospital shall set a prior appointment which will be validated upon arrival…. Persons with no official business shall not be allowed to enter,” it added. 

Baguio Representative Marques Go said that the House has finally approved his request to increase the bed capacity of BGH from the current 850 beds to 1,500 by the end of 2021. 

These beds would be for COVID-19 patients, Go said. 

Other hospitals following suit

The Saint Louis University Hospital of the Sacred Heart made a similar announcement on April 2. 

“(The hospital) announced that it cannot anymore admit COVID-19 patients as of Friday, April 2, 2021,” it said in its own advisory. 

“The SLU SHS COVID isolation unit is now fully occupied and there are still COVID patients/suspects at the Emergency Room and the Triage 2 waiting to be accommodated,” it added. 

Notre Dame de Chartres Hospital (NDCH), Baguio Medical Center (BMC), and the Pines City Doctors Hospital (PCDH) gave their notices on April 3. 

“NDCH has reached its maximum capacity for COVID-19 allocated beds. In view thereof, NDCH will not accommodate probable and confirmed patients until further notice,” Notre Dame said. 

“Please be informed that our COVID ward and COVID Suspect Ward have reached full capacity as of today,” BMC said. 

“We can only accommodate non-COVID in-patients as of April 3,” it added. 

“PCDH has reached its maximum capacity for COVID -19 allocated beds. In view thereof, PCDH will be unable to admit suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients until further notice,” Pines City Doctors Hospital said.

On April 2, Baguio City recorded 227 new cases, raising the total confirmed cases to 7,816, of which 878 are active cases. The city has a COVID-19 death toll of 130 as of April 2 as well. – Rappler.com